An inside look at Miami Hurricanes’ reshaped defensive line and what to expect

If you pay no attention to Miami Hurricanes football during the offseason, and you turn on your television (ACC Network) for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. opener against Bethune Cookman, you might look at the defensive line and say: “Who are these guys?”

Of all of the personnel achievements by coach Mario Cristobal and this staff in his first eight months on the job, upgrading the defensive line ranks No. 1 on the list, along with his run of elite of 2023 commitments on offense and defense.

Four-star freshmen defensive ends Nyjalik Kelly and Cyrus Moss were added in Class of 2022 recruiting. Moss had two sacks in the spring game and Jason Taylor has raved about Kelly.

And five veteran defensive linemen were plucked in the transfer portal, all of whom should play a lot in 2022:

UCLA’s Mitchell Agude, West Virginia’s Akheem Mesidor, UAB’s Antonio Moultrie, Southern Cal’s Jacob Lichtenstein and Maryland’s Darrell Jackson.

Not only are they skilled players, but most have position versatility. Mesidor, Moultrie and Lichtenstein can play end or tackle.

Lichtenstein played mostly tackle in the spring and figures to play there primarily this fall. Moultrie spent a lot of time at defensive end at UAB, but UM says it views him as a tackle. He missed spring ball with an injury.

Mesidor played a lot of defensive end as a freshman at West Virginia but logged many of his snaps at defensive tackle last season for the Mountaineers. He has been UM’s most impressive defensive end in August practices, according to two people who have attended practice.

Agude is a natural edge player, capable of playing outside linebacker or defensive end, which is where he figures to play mostly with Miami. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy raves about him.

Jackson, at 300-plus pounds, has the size and strength that UM covets in the interior of the defense and has been impressive this month, according to the people who have watched practice.

The five players combined last season for 204 tackles, including 28.5 for loss, 12.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

The addition of that quintet leaves UM’s defensive line in dramatically better shape than the past regime left it.

At defensive end, expect Mesidor, Agude and much-improved Jahfari Harvey to play a lot, with Chantz Williams, much-improved Thomas Davis, Jabari Ismael, Elijah Roberts and Moss and Kelly pushing for time.

At tackle, expect a top six - in no particular order - of Leonard Taylor, Lichtenstein, Jared Harrison-Hunte, Moultrie, Jordan Miller and Jackson.

That group is good enough to win a lot of games, considering the strength of the secondary and the Hurricanes’ offensive riches. The question is whether it’s good enough to deliver a winning effort at Texas A&M and Clemson, UM’s two toughest assignments this season.

Some metrics on each of the five d-line additions:

▪ Mesidor, who’s 6-2 and 272 pounds, has left UM people raving about him during fall camp.

“Explosive,” Mario Cristobal said. “I didn’t know how versatile he was – he plays inside, outside. Really good in terms of the use of his hands, setting edges, being able to counter. Very few guys are able to get stuck and come out of it with a good counter move and have a counter after that. He has that.”

Last season for West Virginia, he had 38 tackles with eight for loss, 4.5 sacks and 33 quarterback pressures, which were eighth most in the nation among Power 5 defensive tackles.

He logged 226 snaps at nose tackle and 207 at defensive tackle.

PFF ranked him 324th among 861 qualifying defensive tackles. He graded below average against the run but was given excellent marks as a pass rusher (91st among all FBS interior tackles in that area).

He was even more productive as a pass rusher at defensive end as a freshman, producing five sacks in nine games, compared with 4.5 in 12 last season, when his role changed.

UM hopes moving back to end -- with some work at tackle -- will maximize his strengths.

Mesidor said he left West Virginia in part because he was concerned about his safety.

“I decided to transfer for my overall well-being and in pursuit of a better environment for my development on and off the field,” Mesidor wrote on social media. “At times I felt unsafe on campus. Not too long ago, one of our teammates was stabbed, so what could really happen?”

He told 247 Sports at the time of his departure this past spring that Mountaineers fans “all loved me when I was at West Virginia and sacrificing my body out there. Now that I want to find a place that’s a better fit for me, I’m public enemy No. 1. Everyone on the outside looking in doesn’t know what I’ve done and what I’ve sacrificed for West Virginia football. I’m rarely in trouble.

“I stay off those lists. I’m always on time. I work extremely hard. Whatever is required of me, I do it and do it to the best of my capabilities. It’s just people on the outside don’t understand that.”

▪ Lichtenstein - who was great in the spring game - had 28 tackles (six for loss) and four sacks at Southern Cal last season.

He had 13 pressures and graded out decently against the run last year. Overall, PFF rated him 363rd among 861 interior defenders. Considering departing Jon Ford was 509th and returning Jordan Miller 539th, Lichtenstein should be an upgrade.

Whether he’s as effective as Nesta Silvera - who was rated 134th and transferred to Arizona State - must play out. Silvera had some good moments but never became the consistent impact player many hoped he would be.

▪ Agude had 55 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, two sacks and four forced fumbles last season for UCLA.

Pro Football Focus ranked him the fifth best edge rusher in the Pacific-12 last season and 328th among 824 FBS edge players.

He had one pressure every 8.2 snaps, which is very good, and PFF rated him 175th among all edge players as a pass rusher, and 470th as a run defender.

“There’s a maturity to him,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly said last season. “He’s very dedicated to everything he does. He takes everything very serious - the classroom,... weight room,... the practice field... He sets the tone for the success we’re having on the defensive side because of how hard he plays.”

Agude is one of the best in the nation at forcing fumbles; he had six in two years at UCLA.

“He has a knack for the ball and good understanding for where the football is,” Kelly said. “Peanut Tillman led the NFL in forced fumbles. Those guys have a unique knack for punching the ball out. And we work on it.”

Agude’s story is pretty remarkable. Fox’s Tom Rinaldi reported last year that Agude suffered a traumatic brain injury when he fell off a skateboard and slammed his head on a concrete ramp at a California park. Doctors expected he would sustain brain damage, but he was fine when he woke up from a coma after three days.

▪ Moultrie had 62 tackles, including eight for loss, and two sacks for UAB last season, along with 14 quarterback hurries.

PFF rated him 478th of 821 edge defenders — below average but not in the bottom third. He could end up being UM’s fifth or sixth defensive tackle.

▪ Jackson played only 225 defensive snaps as a freshman at Maryland and finished with 22 tackles, with no sacks and no tackles for loss.

But his top three PFF grades came in the final three games of the season, against Michigan, Rutgers, and Virginia Tech in the bowl game. And he has left an impression on UM coaches in August.

At 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, and with an 86-inch wing span, he can be a disruptive force at nose tackle. One of Cristobal’s priorities was getting bigger and physical on both sides of the line, and Jackson falls in line with that.